Chapter 16
Sixteen
After slipping his room key and wallet into his pocket, Matt sent a text message off to Liv and left his room. As part of the wedding party, he needed to be at the beach before the guests for pictures, and he wanted to see Theo before he joined everyone outside.
Theo answered the door dressed in his suit pants and white undershirt, his hair still damp from a shower. “Morning.”
“We need to talk.”
His brother stepped back and gestured for Matt to enter. “Brianna’s in the bedroom getting dressed.”
The suite he entered looked identical to his across the hall. The only difference he saw was the art hanging on the walls.
“What’s up?”
“You need to make sure Brianna doesn’t take any pictures today. Take her phone away if you have to. I don’t care. Just make sure she doesn’t do it.”
“Maybe you tell your girlfriends what to do, but I don’t. People take pictures at weddings, Matt. Unless Adam or Evie tells me taking pictures is banned, you’re out of luck.”
“Do people also sell their photos to the tabloids?” Matt held out his cell phone, which had the Star Report’s website already open.
Crossing his arms, he waited as Theo scanned the article and scrolled through the photos. “Anyone could have sold these.”
“There are more on the Today Magazine website.” Taking back the device, he opened the other website.
“Still doesn’t prove anything. There were a lot of guests and staff members around,” Theo said as he viewed the new page.
“Brianna posted identical ones on CHAT. Check her profile for yourself.”
Crossing the room, Theo picked up the phone lying on a table. “Did you look at every guest’s CHAT profile or just Brianna’s because you don’t like her?”
He understood Theo’s skepticism, but not his apparent animosity.
He’d been friendly when they’d stayed at his house, and on Thursday, he’d spent most of his time with other family members, not so much to be away from Brianna, but because he’d wanted to catch up with his cousins.
“Neither. I searched for recent posts with my name in them and went through them.”
“The pictures do look similar.”
Similar? Maybe his brother needed to visit an eye doctor. “Theo, the differences are minuscule. If it was just one, I’d accept it was a coincidence, but not five.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” Theo looked at him. “People do that kind of shit because they want the money. Brianna doesn’t need it. Her great-grandfather started Parker’s.”
Matt didn’t shop there, but he recognized the name. A popular store that sold a wide range of products, including women’s clothes, jewelry, and makeup, Parker’s was a staple at malls across the country.
“It’s just a coincidence that her photos look similar to the others. The most likely culprit is one of Evie’s or Adam’s friends. Question them.”
How could his brother deny what was right in front of him?
“I have a better idea, why don’t you go and ask Brianna?” Hell, Matt was tempted to do it himself.
Brianna joined them in time to catch the end of his sentence, dressed in a gown that appeared custom-made for her. “Ask who what?”
Theo looked at Brianna first and then at Matt before rubbing the back of his neck. “Someone sold pictures from the party on Thursday night to some magazines.” Theo shot him a dirty look before he continued. “Matt thinks it was you because some are similar to ones you posted on CHAT.”
Shaking her head, Brianna touched Theo’s shoulder. “I didn’t sell them—”
Theo turned back to him. “I told you that you were wrong.”
Man, he wanted to wipe the smug smile off his brother’s face.
“I gave them to Lily and Naomi to use,” she continued.
Theo’s head whipped in Brianna’s direction. “You gave them to the magazines?”
It wasn’t the response Matt had expected, but Theo had heard her correctly.
“Yes, I sent them on Thursday when we got back to the hotel,” she said as she examined her perfect manicure.
“Why?”
He heard the confusion in Theo’s voice.
Excellent question.
“So they could write articles no one else could. We’ve been friends forever.
Even though her dad owns the Star Report, Lily’s editor rejects more than half the pieces she submits.
I knew the editor wouldn’t reject an article about Matt.
Naomi has only been at Today for a few months and has spent most of her time writing about cosmetics, which she hates.
I thought an article, even a short one, about Matt would prove to her editor that she could handle other pieces. ”
Matt hadn’t pegged Brianna as the type to do something to help others.
“Don’t do it again.” He didn’t care if he was out of line. She needed to know her behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.
“Oh, please. It’s not like the people in those photos haven’t been on those websites before.”
Matt’s phone buzzed, and when he checked the screen, he found a text from Adam.
Adam: Picture time. Where are u?
A glance at his watch told him he was almost five minutes late.
Matt: On my way.
“I have to go. Theo, you need to deal with this.”
Tyler, Adam’s younger brother, noticed Matt first as he approached the group. “It’s about time you got your ass down here. What the hell were you doing?”
“Sorry, I needed to take care of something before the ceremony.”
“Is everything okay?” Adam asked, the perpetual smile he’d been wearing for the past three days fading.
He didn’t want his cousin worrying about anything today, including whether Brianna behaved herself or not.
“Yeah, just some silly media stuff I needed to deal with. Nothing major. It’s all set now.”
At least he hoped it was settled. If not, he’d be having words with his brother again, and this time he wouldn’t be as polite.
The photographer, whom Adam had been speaking with when Matt arrived, clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.”
A hand landed on Matt’s shoulder as he scanned the ballroom. About half the guests remained seated while the rest were on the dance floor.
“Great speech. How long did it take you to write it?” Aiden asked as he sat in the empty chair next to him. “Or did you hire someone to do it?”
He didn’t know the exact length of time, but it hadn’t taken him as long as he’d feared. While he’d struggled to get started, once he did, the rest flowed easily.
“Not too long. The beginning was the hardest part.”
Picking up Matt’s drink, Aiden took a healthy sip before gesturing toward the bride and groom, who were dancing. “Adam looks happy, but I’m still shocked he didn’t invite Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Shannon.”
“Order your own.” Matt took what was left of the drink back from his brother. “Didn’t Theo tell you why Adam didn’t invite his parents?”
Aiden shook his head as he gestured for a member of the waitstaff to come over. “The brewery tour was the first time Theo and I had spoken in weeks. But Jake filled me in on the why. Can’t say I’m surprised by Aunt Shannon and Uncle Benjamin’s behavior, but I’m still surprised Adam excluded them.”
Matt tried to digest his brother’s statement while Aiden ordered a drink.
Once the waitress took Aiden’s order, she looked at him. “Can I bring you anything?”
Thanks to his brother, his drink was almost gone. “I’ll have another Manhattan.”
“What did you do to piss off Brianna and Theo? I noticed he hasn’t spoken to you all day, and she’s been sending dirty looks your way since the reception started,” Aiden asked once they were alone again.
Matt finished what was left of his drink before filling his brother in on what Brianna had done and his conversation with Theo before the ceremony.
“Brianna does whatever she wants.” Aiden paused when the waitress set down their order. “But I’m surprised she was trying to help someone else. She seems too self-centered to do something like that.”
He’d had a similar thought that morning. “It’s what she said, but it doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
“She doesn’t need the money, so she’d have no reason to sell them. At least on that, I’d believe her. But I also wouldn’t trust her not to do it again, regardless of what you said to her this morning or what Theo might have said after you left. She listens to only one person—herself.”
Aiden’s comment prompted him to scan the room again. Unlike last time, he found Brianna and Theo sitting with a cousin. Judging by Vivian’s face, she’d prefer to be in a dentist’s chair getting a root canal.
“How well do you know Brianna?”
During his visit, Theo mentioned that their brother hadn’t spent much time with Brianna. However, Aiden’s comments, both now and during the cruise, gave Matt the impression that he’d spent more than enough time to form an honest opinion.
“Well enough, unfortunately. I don’t know why Theo is still with her.”
Liv’s comment from the other night came to mind. “The sex?” Anyone else, he’d say it was for the money or the connections. People were willing to put up with a lot when money was involved. But Theo didn’t need a wealthy girlfriend or the connections.
Aiden’s hand paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. “I don’t care how incredible the sex was, I still wouldn’t stay with her. She’s… I don’t even know where to start.” Before continuing, his brother took a sip from his drink. “You spent some time with her in Maine. What did you think of her?”
“I wasn’t a fan either. She fits Theo’s usual type in a lot of ways, but there was something about her that I really didn’t like.”
“Did your girlfriend get along with her?”
Matt considered his question. “I wouldn’t say they didn’t get along. They didn’t argue, but it was obvious Brianna didn’t like Liv. Thankfully, Brianna didn’t interact with us much. She spent most of her time on the phone.”
“Sounds like something she’d do.”